The Saxon Pub

Boy do I love this very intimate venue! I have seen some great local bands perform on this stage. Robynn Shayne, Guy Forsyth, Mickey and the Motor Cars to name a few. I like that Saxon is a huge supporters of local music, the shows are reasonably priced, there are happy hour shows even on Saturdays and as mentioned before it is an intimate setting.
They are a full bar with some local taps and liquors. Come early if you want a seat. Oh and purse hooks at the bar! As Austin grows we are losing many of our beloved music venues. Come out and support this local establishment and support your musicians while listening to some of Austin’s best.
Parking:
They offer valet service on Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday starting at 7:00pm. After 6:30pm customers can park at Genie Car Wash.

Service was good this is a bar probably for an older crowd. Good live music lots of fun lots of fun people.

If you want to see legendary music, either already created or being created, come here. How funny that some reviewers mentioned their uncomfortableness with gray bearded old guys. It’s the gray bearded old guys and women (who may or may not have gray beards) who put Austin on the map 40 years ago.
It’s very laid back and people you don’t know might sit down at your rickety old table. Get over it. The Merlot might be sour. Get over it. The bathroom might be small. Get over it. Someone might get up in your face and dance. Get over it.
Just a smattering of the talent includes:
Lavelle White, a legendary blues singer, who can belt out a song at 86 years young.
John Gaar, a gifted musician and his fabulous group of harmonious and talented folks who play every Sunday.
The Resentments, each band member musically and comedically talented with their own separate accomplishments, show up every Sunday, too.
Pauline Reese, who can rock a country song with her kick ass band and will give our son and his friend a kiss after her show.
Johnny Nicholas, former member of Asleep At The Wheel and owner of The Hilltop Café near Fredricksburg, can keep you entertained with his New Orleans cajun blues.
Hayes Carll, a very talented songster, who will delight you with humor and wit
Bob Schneider… well, if you can’t fill in the blanks for him, you might as well leave Austin. And if you leave, I’m guessing you don’t have a gray beard.

LOVED IT!
Went there to simply listen to live soul music and absolutely loved it, drinks were cheap as well! It saddens me that it will be torn down soon, if you’re ever down in Austin, come down to Saxon!

One of the great live music places in Austin. I love some of the groups and individuals I have seen there. Convenient area in Austin to hit as part of a night out. Great variety of musicians and programs. The bar staff does a great job servicing the crowd whether you are at a table, booth, bar or on the floor. A must do for Austin!

I took a spontaneous trip to Austin to see some live music and I sure got what I asked for at the Saxon Pub. There’s not much seating, but I was fortunate to get a seat at the bar on Friday and Sunday with a great intimate view of the bands. It’s great to know that on any given night you will see the great Austin musicians.

No question the best venue in town to catch the real Austin music scene. Favorites are Resentments, John Gaar, David Grissom, Johnny Nicholas. The sound is perfect, the bar staff is friendly, and the crowd is classic. Love this place.

I’ve been to this place many times! Always great, fast, friendly service! Hannah is one of the friendliest people I’ve met. Keep up the good work guys.

great sound and inexpensive drinks.
They have an outdoor patio with typical garden furniture, such as white monoblock chairs. Everyone smokes out there.
$ 10 cover charge

I absolutely this place! They have some of the best live music performances for Austin! They have a full liquor bar and a decent selection of beer. My favorite is Stash IPA-​which they have on draft! Many of their shows are free-​but please tip the band. This is absolutely one of my favorite music venues-​great seating, nice large patio outside, and is very intimate. Plan to get here early if you want a good seat!

Great pub environment, good beer selections, great music. I mostly come here to see the illustrious Robynn Shayne perform. The stage is placed and lit well, and the acoustics and speakers have great sound.

it’s dark and dingy and the prices are reasonable and the servers are cool and the music is some of the best around. what more do you need to know? it’s an original austin institution, for goodness sakes.

Saxon Pub has the best shows. One of my friend’s bands did the Friday night happy hour show for 5 years. That’s when I spent most of my time at Saxon. But of course I stayed for the later acts. They draw great talent like Patrice Pike, Guy Forsyth, Carolyn Wonderland, Malford Milligan, Bob Schneider, and many more.
No cover for happy hour shows & later shows are a small cover. It doesn’t matter if you get there early or late, the cover is the same if you stay for the later shows. Reserved spots are also available. Happy hour bands get paid on tips only, so be generous! Someone is always passing that tip jar around — don’t be a cheapskate!
Typical dive bar booze selection. Drinks are reasonably priced. Servers are attentive. Sets last quite a while — great entertainment!

Great, great music and amazing indoor acoustics in an intimate setting. The band is only two feet from the audience. Drinks are cheap, tasty, and served fast.
Only issue I had was the seating situation. If you want to have a seat for the evening on Friday night, I recommend you get there early. Really early. I got there just before 6PM to enjoy Happy Hour, and the place was already packed to the walls with no empty seats. After the first band finished, nobody got up to leave, so I’m thinking you’re essentially left standing the entire night if you don’t get a spot early.
If you have to stand, the standing room is packed. I was hanging out near the bar and I was so close to the people around me, I could literally smell the shampoo on the guy’s hair in front of me.
Not a perfect situation, but this place is an Austin original with some of the best music in the city. Take it or leave it! :) I think most will love it.

Its just hard to beat the Saxon.
Over the years the clubs that catered to real musicians first and foremost has dwindled. IMO, the Saxon and the Continental are the best of the bunch and I give a slight edge to the Saxon since a lot of posers make their way in the Continental.
Face it, SoHo is for show and Lamar is for dough: you ain’t going to the Saxon for anything but the music.
Food? Who knows — people go for the music. Décor? What décor? Its a bar. Beer? Drinks? Yeah, whatever. And usually a reasonable cover to hear some extraordinary bands up close and personal. How close? Lots of them will hug you and high five you as they pull their gear in the stage door — located two feet from the audience.
With a fondness for original songwriters, you can get the blues, a little jazz maybe and almost always good bands laying down a groove on one of the smallest stages in town.
This audience comes for the music: if you ever feel like you’re beginning to lose your soul, hop on down to the Saxon, listen to some amazing musicians (don’t forget cash for the Tip Jar) and take care of your servers.
After one visit, you’ll be rejuvenated.

Hello my fellow Unilocalers! So many things can be said about the Saxon Pub. Most people know its iconic trademark 16-​foot knight that stands watch over its patrons. This is a $ 700 knight who I am sure is priceless these days.
Much like that knight, the Saxon is priceless. With Richard Vannoy manning the sound at the club and the lovely Jodie (Daughter of Joe Ables) helping run the bar. They turn the seats at the Saxon not unlike a restaurant would turn tables. They are able to get 3 to 4 bands in a night.
The great thing about the Saxon is that they are away from the craziness of 6^th street. People go to the Saxon to hear live music. The artists feel appreciated and respected at a place like the Saxon.
Over the past 24 years the club has seen the likes of Monte Montgomery, Hays Carll, Los Lonely Boys, W.C.Clark, and Bob Schneider.
If you were lucky you got to see all star jam sessions with Bonnie Raitt, Eric Johnson, Stephen Bruton, and Michael McDonald!
It’s a singer songwriter establishment that does not do drink specials to bring people in. The music is what draws people to the Saxon.
You can still catch Bob Schneider’s Lonelyland on Monday nights. You might even see that singing flight attendant Robynn Shayne there if you play your cards right!
Do yourselves a favor and go to the Saxon Pub for some great music and memories you will cherish forever.

Last night was my second time here to see Bob Schneider and Lonelyland. This wasn’t as good as the first time, too crowded and semi-​rude and inattentive service, didn’t see my waitress for the entire show and had to track her down to get my credit card back. Plus, if you’re sitting in one of the reserved tables it’s a hell of a battle to fight your way through the crowd to hit the restroom. I think they have happy hour until seven, didn’t get there until later, so not sure about that. If you get there early, before Bob goes in around 8:30 you can pretty much sit anywhere you want, even the reserved tables. But once Bob goes on, they’re going to make everybody get up and go out front and come through the door as they check your tickets. Sound quality, and seats were great, paid 25 on-​line for them, love hearing the music, just last night was on the verge of being too chaotic.

If these walls could talk. This music venue is iconic and as «old School» Austin as it gets. Stuck in 1970 and not in any hurry to catch up with the progress that’s taken place in our fair city.
We got there very early to see Omar and the Howlers and got to see James «Slim» Hand play too. There was a table of folks «not from around here» and my wife and I got tickled pink when we overheard one of them say «see, this is REAL music by Texas musicians».
Don’t take this place for granted and get some authentic music all over ya.

Twenty-​four years in Austin, and I’d never been to the iconic Saxon Pub. I think I’ve seen it on public access. And for some reason, I get it mixed up with that traveling gun show. But:
— intimate place to see some of Austin’s up-​coming talent: +1 star
— decent acoustics, a lounge area with tv (presumably to watch the sports games), and an outside patio: +1 star
— friendly staff serving reasonably priced drinks, including amaretto for the wife: +1 star
— air conditioning that easily blasts away the humid warmth of the first day of summer: +1 star
I get the impression that it might get very crowded for Bob, and it may at times be a little more gray-​beardy-​old-​guy than I’m usually comfortable with. But I’m betting it will be less than 24 years before I stop by again. And if not, then I’ll just be one of the gray-​beardy-​old-​guys!
3.9 stars.

Great prices on an early Saturday afternoon. 12.50 for two top shelf shots and a tall boy lonestar. Came here to see Robynn Shayne. Jack C invited me. Driven by a thousand times. Great small bar. Small patio, Dog Friendly. Sitting here watching Robynn kill it, and Germany vs Ghana. What a Saturday afternoon. Sports, music, and cheap drinks. My favorite new bar. Puppies are thankful for the ice water and several fans churning up the patio. The bar is topped with copper. Badass IMHO. It’s ice cold inside, and breezy on the patio. I’ll be here often during the world cup unless I can find a house party with booze, that’s also dog friendly.